Star Wars – 12 Inch

Star Wars – 12 Inch Figures
1978 – 1980

Kenner released a series of 12 inch figures from 1978 to 1980, which were broken down into three waves of 12 different figures before eventually coming to an end. The third and final wave of figures was released in the Summer of 1980, with only two figures. They were the previously released Boba Fett, with new Empire Strikes Back packaging, and IG-88. Kenner had plans to release several more 12 Inch figures, but the line came to end.

For more information about Kenner’s Star Wars 12 inch products, see bottom of page for a complete summary.

Star Wars – 12 Inch (1978 – 1979): Wave 1

The first wave of 12 Inch figures contained 6 in total. They were all released towards the latter half of 1978, and then made available again with the 1979 wave two.

Artoo Detoo (R2-D2)

Market Value:
Boxed $250 – $350

R2-D2 (Loose)

Market Value:
Loose $60 – $100

Artoo Detoo (R2-D2)
Accessories: Death Star Plans x 3
Years Released: 1978, 1979
Scarcity Factor: Boxed – Tough to find on the secondary market;
Loose – Can still be found, but getting tougher to find in good condition
Notes: R2-D2 was among the first six figures released in the 12 Inch format in 1978. The 12 inch version included R2’s his turning, clicking dome, movable legs with wheels and a secret compartment containing hidden Death Star Plans.

Chewbacca (Boxed)

Market Value:
Boxed $225 – $325

Chewbacca (Loose)

Market Value:
Loose $50 – $90

Chewbacca
Accessories: Wookie Bowcaster, Bandolier
Years Released: 1978, 1979
Scarcity Factor: Boxed – Tough to find on the secondary market;
Loose – Can still be found, but getting tougher to find in good condition
Notes: Chewbacca was among the first six figures released in the 12 Inch format in 1978. The faithful co-pilot of the Millennium Falcon and bestie to Han Solo, Chewie comes with his faithful Wookie Bowcaster and bandoleer, which held ammo squares.

Darth Vader (Boxed)

Market Value:
Boxed $250 – $350

Darth Vader (Loose)

Market Value:
Loose $75 – $115

Darth Vader
Accessories: Black Cape, Red Lightsaber
Years Released: 1978, 1979
Scarcity Factor: Boxed – Tough to find on the secondary market;
Loose – Can still be found, but getting tougher to find in good condition
Notes: Darth Vader was among the best selling figures of this line, for obvious reasons. He was the bad guy that everybody loved to hate, not to mention he was awesome looking as well. Vader comes with his red lightsaber and removable cloth cape.

Luke Skywalker (Boxed)

Market Value:
Boxed $400 – $500

Luke Skywalker (Loose)

Market Value:
Loose $90 – $140

Luke Skywalker
Accessories: Cloth Shirt, Pants, Boots, Utility Belt, Blue Lightsaber, Grappling Hook
Years Released: 1978, 1979
Scarcity Factor: Boxed – Tough to find on the secondary market;
Loose – Can still be found, but getting tougher to find in good condition
Notes: Luke was among the first six figures released in the 12 Inch format in 1978. The likeness on this figures isn’t bad, even though it had that Ken doll look to it. Luke comes with his blue lightsaber, along with a cool looking grappling hook.

Princess Leia (Boxed)

Market Value:
Boxed $250 – $350

Princess Leia (Loose)

Market Value:
Loose $50 – $90

Princess Leia
Accessories: Cloth Dress, Belt, Socks, Shoes, Brush, Comb
Years Released: 1978, 1979
Scarcity Factor: Boxed – Tough to find on the secondary market;
Loose – Can still be found, but getting tougher to find in good condition
Notes: Princess Leia was among the first six figures released in the 12 Inch format in 1978. As far as likenesses go, this one was pretty darn good. Leia did not come with a weapon, but did include a brush and comb for getting those hair buns just right.

See-Threepio (C-3PO)

Market Value:
Boxed $200 – $300

C-3PO (Loose)

Market Value:
Loose $50 – $90

See-Threepio (C-3PO)
Accessories: None
Years Released: 1978, 1979
Scarcity Factor: Boxed – Tough to find on the secondary market;
Loose – Can still be found, but getting tougher to find in good condition
Notes: The shiniest figure in any Star Wars line, this figure was definitely eye-catching. Who in their right mind didn’t want a C-3PO action figure? The sculpt on this figure was actually really good as Kenner nailed all the little details that make C-3PO so lovable.

Star Wars – 12 Inch (1979 – 1980): Wave 2

The second wave of 12 Inch figures contained 5 more brand new figures, including the newest character, Boba Fett. The Boba Fett figure was the last 12 Inch figure to be released with the original Star Wars packaging at Christmas of 1979.

Boba Fett (Boxed)

Market Value:
Boxed $500 – $650

Boba Fett (Loose)

Loose Value:
$200 – $300

Boba Fett
Accessories: Utility Belt, Cape, Laser Blaster, Wookie Scalps, Rocket Pack w/ Missile
Years Released: 1979
Scarcity Factor: Boxed – Tough to find on the secondary market;
Loose – Can still be found, but getting tougher to find in good condition
Notes: Boba Fett…….Just the name brings up all kinds of cool thoughts and images. Boba Fett made his debut on the Star Wars Holiday Special, which was aired in December of 1978. His 3.75 inch figures was a massive hit, so it only made sense that he would be included with the 12 inch figures as well. Boba came with all kinds of neat accessories, including a set of Wookie scalps, Laser Blaster and of course his rocket pack and missile. Boba Fett was released just in time for Christmas of 1979.

Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi

Market Value:
Boxed $250 – $350

Ben Kenobi (Loose)

Market Value:
Loose $60 – $100

Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi
Accessories: Cloth Tunic, Pants, Jedi Robe, Boots, Yellow Lightsaber
Years Released: 1979
Scarcity Factor: Boxed – Tough to find on the secondary market;
Loose – Can still be found, but getting tougher to find in good condition
Notes: Old Ben Kenobi once went by the name, Obi-Wan Kenobi, back when he was a younger man fighting in the Clone Wars. Obi-Wan was also Anakin Skywalker’s mentor, before he turned to the dark side. Fun fact: Obi-Wan Kenobi looked exactly like Ewan McGregor when he was younger…….just kidding. I’m sure he just looked like a younger Alec Guinness. Ben came with a yellow lightsaber and his signature brown Jedi robe.

Han Solo (Boxed)

Market Value:
Boxed $400 – $500

Han Solo (Loose)

Market Value:
Loose $100 – $150

Han Solo
Accessories: Cloth Shirt, Vest, Pants, Boots, Gun Belt, Blaster, Medal of Yavin
Years Released: 1979
Scarcity Factor: Boxed – Tough to find on the secondary market;
Loose – Can still be found, but getting tougher to find in good condition
Notes: Our favorite rogue smuggler, Han Solo was of course included with the 12 inch figures. This was a great likeness of Harrison Ford and Kenner did a fantastic job with matching his accessories and clothing. In fact, the likeness was so good that Kenner used this same figure for their 12 inch version of Indiana Jones just a couple of years later.

Jawa (Boxed)

Market Value:
Boxed $275 – $375

Jawa (Loose)

Market Value:
Loose $50 – $90

Jawa
Accessories: Cloth Brown Cloak, Ammo Bandolier, Laser Rifle
Years Released: 1979
Scarcity Factor: Boxed – Tough to find on the secondary market;
Loose – Can still be found, but getting tougher to find in good condition
Notes: Unlike his 3.75 inch version, this Jawa came only came with one cloth robed version. This was a great figure for the 12 inch set, but I always found it odd that a Jawa was made in this format, but no Sand People. The Jawa comes with his a Laser Rifle and his Ammo Bandoliers.

Stormtrooper (Boxed)

Market Value:
Boxed $300 – $400

Stormtrooper (Loose)

Market Value:
Loose $75 – $115

Stormtrooper
Accessories: Stormtrooper Blaster
Years Released: 1979
Scarcity Factor: Boxed – Tough to find on the secondary market;
Loose – Can still be found, but getting tougher to find in good condition
Notes: This was the original army building figure for the Star Wars line and I think most kids (and adults) had multiple Stormtroopers for their collection. The great thing about these guys is that you can literally never have too many of them, and the same can be said for the 12 inch format version. The Stormtrooper design of this figure was extremely well done and this made for a great figure. Side Note: Due to the white paint used on this figure, loose versions are commonly found yellowed and dirty.

Star Wars – 12 Inch (1980): Wave 3

The third and final wave of 12 Inch figures was released in the Summer of 1980, and only included two figures. One of them was the previously released Boba Fett, but with the new Empire Strikes Back packaging, and the other being a brand new character from the Empire Strikes Back. That new character was of course, IG-88. Kenner had plans to release several more 12 Inch figures, including new versions of existing characters and even Lando Calrissian, but the line ended before they hit production.

Boba Fett (Boxed)

Market Value:
Boxed $600 – $800

Boba Fett (Loose)

Loose Value:
$200 – $300

Boba Fett
Accessories: Utility Belt, Cape, Laser Blaster, Wookie Scalps, Rocket Pack w/ Missile
Years Released: 1980
Scarcity Factor: Boxed – Tough to find on the secondary market;
Loose – Can still be found, but getting tougher to find in good condition
Notes: Boba Fett…….Just the name brings up all kinds of cool thoughts and images. Boba Fett made his debut on the Star Wars Holiday Special, which was aired in December of 1978. His 3.75 inch figures was a massive hit, so it only made sense that he would be included with the 12 inch figures as well. Boba came with all kinds of neat accessories, including a set of Wookie scalps, Laser Blaster and of course his rocket pack and missile. Boba Fett was released just in time for Christmas of 1979, then re-released in 1980 with the new Empire Strikes Back packaging with IG-88.

IG-88 (Boxed)

Market Value:
Boxed $700 – $900

IG-88 (Loose)

Loose Value:
$200 – $300

IG-88
Accessories: Laser Pistol, Laser Rifle, Cartridge Belt
Years Released: 1980
Scarcity Factor: Boxed – This item is considered rare by Star Wars collectors;
Loose – Can still be found, but getting tougher to find in good condition
Notes: Kenner’s 12 Inch Star Wars line sold very well when it was initially released, but sales began to gradually dwindle by 1980. Kenner had big plans for future 12 Inch figures, but the slow sales and higher production costs due to the size brought those plans to a halt in 1980. The lone figure that had made it through the production phase was IG-88, so Kenner released it in conjunction with the Empire Strikes Back. Aside from Boba Fett, this was the only figure released from the new movie, but one can’t help but wonder about how amazing it would’ve been to have a whole set of 12 Inch Bounty Hunter figures.

Star Wars – 12 Inch (1978-1980): Accessories

Kenner did not release any actual accessories for their 12 Inch Star Wars action figure line, but did release a couple of items that I place in this category due to their scale. The Radio Controlled R2-D2 and Yoda Hand Puppet both fit perfectly with the rest of the 12 inch format figures.

Radio Controlled R2-D2

Market Value:
Boxed $100- $150
Loose $40 – $65

Radio Controlled R2-D2
Accessories: Remote control
Years Released: 1978, 1979
Scarcity Factor: Can still be found, but it’s getting tougher each year
Notes: How cool was this! a Radio Controlled R2-D2 that would move around by you controlling it remotely. This was pretty high speed for Kenner back in the day and very innovative to make one of their best known characters radio controlled. What I remember the most from this was the really long metal wire coming from the controller that would flop around when you moved. That wire always got bent to heck and usually broke. Radio Controlled R2 also had lights and sounds, along with a turning dome.

Yoda (Hand Puppet)

Market Value:
Boxed $80 – $120
Loose $25 – $50

Yoda (Hand Puppet)
Accessories: None
Years Released: 1980, 1981
Scarcity Factor: Can still be found, but it’s getting tougher each year
Notes: Unfortunately, this was not an actual 12 inch figure with the cloth accessories and clothing, but rather a plastic molded hand puppet. Still, the figure fit in very well with the other 12 inch figures, which is why he is included here. The premise is pretty simple with this guy, simply insert your hand and do your best Yoda impersonation.

Star Wars – 12 Inch (1978-1980): Playsets

Kenner did not release any scaled Playsets for their 12 Inch Star Wars action figure line.

Star Wars – 12 Inch (1978-1980): Vehicles

Kenner did not release any scaled vehicles for their 12 Inch Star Wars action figure line.

When Kenner decided to pick up the licensing deal for George Lucas’ new Sci-Fi movie called Star Wars, I highly doubt they knew it would be the smash hit that it would go on to become, so they really went into overdrive to create different ways to capitalize on their newest hit toyline. Since Kenner made the decision to shrink down their Star Wars figures to a more economical 3.75 inch size to allow for more scaled playsets and vehicles, they now decided to release a 12 Inch line as well. This 12 inch action figure design was something that Kenner was definitely familiar with, as they also had great success with their Six Million Dollar Man line in the mid 70’s.

Kenner’s 12 inch Star Wars series consisted of three different waves that were spread out from 1978 to 1980. The first wave consisted of six action figures, which featured R2-D2, C-3PO, Chewbacca, Darth Vader, Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker. That was followed by five more the next year, with Han Solo, Jawa, Stormtrooper, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Boba Fett. The Boba Fett figure was released just before the holiday season on 1979. The third and final wave of 12 Inch figures was released in the Summer of 1980, and only included two figures. One of them was the previously released Boba Fett, but with the new Empire Strikes Back packaging, and the other being a brand new character from the Empire Strikes Back. That new character was of course, IG-88. Kenner had plans to release several more 12 Inch figures, including new versions of existing characters and even Lando Calrissian, but sadly, the line ended before they hit production. There were 12 total figures released during Kenner’s 12 Inch line.

The 12 Inch line of Star Wars action figures released from 1978 to 1980, definitely set the standard for that sized figures at the time. They were detailed, and came with fun accessories and accurate costumes. Each one of these figures have a special place in the heart of most Star Wars collectors and are highly sought after. Most of the figures can still be easily found in loose condition, but are usually missing their weapons or accessories. The boxed versions of these figures are getting harder and harder to find in today’s secondary market.